Cooking for David has made all the difference. My wife,
Janet, had both kidneys removed in March, 2001 due to polycystic
kidney disease. She relies on dialysis to stay alive. But
dialysis is not a perfect solution and dialysis clinics are not very
helpful with diet or any kind of practical help.
Janet’s blood work was getting out of control. Phosphorus
was off the scale. Diet information we had was inadequate to
teach us what to do. When I found Cooking for David on the
internet, I was skeptical. Our lives were busy enough without
the need for special, uninteresting, and probably difficult cooking.
I ordered the cookbook anyway. When it arrived, I began
reading. The teaching material seemed sensible and well
organized. It gave me the nutrient goals Janet needed to return
to better health (her clinic was not willing to give me target numbers
for sodium, potassium, and phosphorus). I was encouraged and
asked Janet to look through the cookbook and pick out recipes that
appealed to her.
So, I began. I made a list of all the spices and other
ingredients needed to make the first week’s recipe choices. I
tossed our old spices in the trash. I created a chart on which
to list each day’s meals and their nutrient content so I wouldn’t
overshoot the goals. Then I started cooking.
The first few weeks were challenging but fun. I made two or
three recipes every other day (Janet needed meals packed for dialysis
days.) The challenge was using my chart to create variety and
track nutrients. The fun was combining a whole new set of
ingredients in recipes that were, for the most part, easy yet always
surprising and delicious. Janet’s life was changing. All
of a sudden, she didn’t have to worry about what she was eating and
she had access to food that wasn’t bland.
Within eight weeks her blood tests were back to normal dialysis
ranges, her skin had cleared, and she was feeling much better.
Her co-workers were getting samples of what she was eating and
demanding more. We had learned that we could have fun giving her
better health and that cooking was not a problem. Some of your
recipes are so simple that I refer to them as brain dead: quick and
easy.
We talk about your cookbook with everyone we meet. We share
the food with healthy people. We have cooked entire meals for
guests and they all go away pleased. We hope to be sharing your
cookbook with the polycystic support group in the Twin Cities,
dialysis clinics, and at least two hospitals.
We are grateful to you for the wonderful solution you have provided
in Cooking for David.
Janet & Tom Larson
Hanover, Minnesota
